The present disclosure relates to additive manufacturing technologies for printing or otherwise building three-dimensional (3D) parts and support structures. In particular, the present disclosure relates to systems for removing support structures from 3D parts printed or built with additive manufacturing systems, such as extrusion-based additive manufacturing systems.
An extrusion-based additive manufacturing system is used to print a 3D part from a digital representation of the 3D part in a layer-by-layer manner by extruding a flowable part material. The part material is extruded through an extrusion tip carried by an extrusion head, and is deposited as a sequence of roads on a substrate in an x-y plane. The extruded part material fuses to previously deposited part material, and solidifies upon a drop in temperature. The position of the extrusion head relative to the substrate is then incremented along a z-axis (perpendicular to the x-y plane), and the process is then repeated to form a 3D part resembling the digital representation.
Movement of the extrusion head with respect to the substrate is performed under computer control, in accordance with build data that represents the 3D part. The build data is obtained by initially slicing the digital representation of the 3D model into multiple horizontally sliced layers. Then, for each sliced layer, the host computer generates tool paths for depositing roads of the part material to form the 3D part.
In fabricating 3D parts by depositing layers of a part material, supporting layers or structures are typically built underneath overhanging portions or in cavities of 3D parts under construction, which are not supported by the part material itself. A support structure may be built utilizing the same deposition techniques by which the part material is deposited. The host computer generates additional geometry acting as a support structure for the overhanging or free-space segments of the 3D part being formed. Support material is then deposited from a second nozzle pursuant to the generated geometry during the build process. The support material adheres to the part material during fabrication, and is removable from the completed 3D part when the build process is complete.
Support structures for use in printing or building 3D parts in additive manufacturing systems are typically classified in two categories: Break-away support materials and soluble or melt-away support materials. Break-away support materials may be manually broken away from the resulting 3D parts by hand or using tools. In comparison, soluble support materials may be dissolved in aqueous solutions. Typically, optimal dissolution of a soluble support material requires heat and agitation, which is provided in various commercially-available support removal tanks or vessels designed to dissolve supports from additive-manufactured parts.